Two American citizens have been arrested in Iran amid an intensified crackdown on foreign infiltrators accused of aiding Israel during last month's 12-day war, according to Israeli media reports.
The arrests, which reportedly occurred in Tehran and Shiraz, were carried out as Iranian intelligence services moved to dismantle alleged spy networks operated by Israel’s Mossad. The Israeli outlet Kan reported that both men are American Jews, one originally from Los Angeles with Iranian ancestry, and the other an Iranian-born New Yorker who has lived in the United States for over 30 years. The man from Los Angeles was released on bail, while the second remains in custody. Both had traveled to Iran to visit family members.
Sources cited by Kan claimed that the arrests are part of a broader wave of detentions, with at least 35 Iranian Jews having been detained in recent weeks, though 11 have since been released. The two Americans were described by sources close to ongoing negotiations as having been “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
The arrests follow unprecedented domestic attacks during the Iran-Israel conflict, in which Mossad-linked operatives reportedly launched drones and rockets from inside Iranian territory. Iranian authorities also reported that collaborators had detonated car bombs in Tehran and used psychological warfare tactics, such as lighting tire fires on highways to simulate the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes.
Since the end of the conflict, Iranian security forces have uncovered dozens of illegal drone production sites, further underscoring the extent of foreign infiltration before and during the war. In the ongoing investigations, authorities are reviewing the detainees’ communications, including calls made to Israel—a country where many Iranian Jews have relatives.
The U.S. government has not yet officially confirmed the detention of American citizens, though the State Department has repeatedly issued travel advisories warning Americans—especially dual nationals—not to travel to Iran due to the risk of arbitrary arrest.